Once Upon a Cold Night Long Ago......

This material is copyrighted,

December 1998

by Betsy Hultin.

(unedited)

*
It had been a blustery day out in the pastures.

Shenai and the other does had stood with their

backs to the wind all day long, not wanting to go

very far afield. Not much browse this time of year

anyway and Shenai knew her kids would be born

very, very soon.

*

Agba, the shepard boy, blew his horn and the does

ran, ears flopping, towards him, shoving their noses

in his pockets looking for treats. He rubbed their ears

and looked carefully at each one to make sure no one

was limping or not well. He watched as Shenai slowly

made her way down the slope towards him. She was

his favorite doe. As they made their way into the

welcoming shelter of the barn, the first stars had come

out. And the chill of the night made Shenai shiver.

*

Agba began the evening feeding and milking. He looked

up at a commotion in the yard on the other side of the

barn. Uncle had had many people coming to him for a

place to stay, there was a counting going on and Agba

had never seen this many people in the streets of

Bethlehem before in his short life. And he had never,

ever seen Uncle have to turn away people from his Inn

before tonight.

*

All the does munched satisfyingly on the fragrant hay

Agba gave them. To Shenai, he gave a little extra grain

for he too knew her time was near. Her eyes followed

Agba wherever he went and Agba put Shenai in her own

stall, the one all the does who kidded in the barn went

into. Then, he put hay into the manger there and offered

Shenai a bucket of water, which she drank eagerly.

Having finished feeding the does, Agba went to gather up

the cows and milk them too. Brother had put the sheep

into their cote just before Agba had finished milking the

does. It was a game between them to see who would finish

first and sample Mother's cooking. Since Father had died,

the family took in extra boarders at the Inn to help pay for

food and the taxes the counting would surely increase.

Agba always smiled because his does asked so little of

him, but gave him so much in return.

*

As Agba walked out of the barn towards the Inn, he

noticed a couple entering the yard from the street.

A man and his wife, who was very soon to have her

child. The woman looked very uncomfortable and Agba

offered her some fresh milk from the does as her husband

went inside to speak with Uncle. Uncle came out of the

Inn with a determined look on his face and the man very

close behind him. There was no room.....and then Uncle's

eyes fell upon the woman who was so soon to give birth.

Mother came out of the Inn as well and looked at Uncle

with knowing eyes. She helped the woman off of her

donkey as Uncle spoke carefully to the man. They both

walked into the barn and soon came back out. The man

motioned for his wife to come in the barn and bring all

their belongings. Agba went to Shenai and told her she

would have to give up her place for this woman who

was so tired of carrying herprecious burden. As Agba

led Shenai out of the stall, the woman looked at Shenai

and rubbed her ears. Shenai saw the gentleness and

strength there and knew she and the woman would give

birth on this very night so close together.

*

A small meal was prepared and Brother brought the food

to the special visitors. The tired woman laid down on the

hay where the man had spread a blanket for her. Shenai

looked through the fence of the pen she had been

returned to where the rest of the does had bedded down

for the night. The woman looked back and closed her eyes

and went to sleep. So did Shenai.

Sometime later, Shenai awoke. Her sides hurt and she

needed to push. Suddenly a bubble popped out, followed

by a pair of little hooves and a nose. A strong push and

her son was born. She set about cleaning him up and he

stood almost immediately. But she needed to push again

and this time, a doe, with ears down to her knees. Shenai

cleaned her and both kids stood to nurse. The other does

wanted to see what was going on, but Shenai was very

protective. She growled at the other does.

*

Suddenly, Shenai realized that the rest of the does were

not looking at her babies.There was something else

happening in the barn and all the animals were watching.

The light became so bright that all the animals needed to

squint to see just what it was. And where was all the light

coming from?

Suddenly Agba awoke and saw the light in the barn. He

ran out of the house and into the doe pen. The light had

startled him as well and he thought the barn was on fire!

When he saw Shenai's babies he put his arms around her

neck and hugged her as tight as he could. Shenai licked his

face and he laughed.

*
Agba stood up and looked in the direction of the kidding

pen. The light was so bright, he had to sheild his eyes. He

picked up the little doe and carried her with him to get a

closer look at the wonderous sight in the kidding pen. Agba

became aware that there was more than just the man and

woman in the pen. There were things he simply could not

explain there, men and ladies with what looked like wings!

Dressed in flowing white, glowing garments! And the

singing! He had never heard such beautiful voices in his

life! Then he heard a bleat. It was the little doe, nosing

Agba for milk.

*

The light began to fade and the singing quieted. And then

he heard a different sound....not a baby goat. He had

heard his Aunt's baby when she was born. That was the

sound! The woman had her baby as well and Agba

wanted to run and get Mother to help, but the woman

just looked at him with a secret smile and motioned for

him to come closer. He looked into the manger where he

had put the hay for Shenai earlier. There was a small baby

there. So small, but so beautiful! And He glowed! The

woman had wrapped him in rags that she had torn from

her under dress. She told Agba that the baby was named

Jesus. Agba knelt beside the manger and touched the

babe's hand with hisfinger, but the babe wasn't interested

in Agba's finger. He was interested in the four footed

creature Agba had put across his neck. The baby coo-ed

and grinned to see the new doe kid. Agba held the little

kid so the baby could see and the baby laughed! The kid

snorted! Everyone was full of joy!

*

Then suddenly the baby reached up with both arms and

touched the baby doe on each side of her head, right where

the horn buds grow. (And to this very day, that is why

goats have little cow-lick swirls of hair just where their

horns buds are.)

*

The little doe looked startled and snorted again. Then

everybody laughed. By this time, Mother, Aunt and Uncle

had come in the barn to see what was going on. (Later,

Brother would complain he had slept through it all!)

*
Mother brought the woman some old clothing which the

woman was very greatful for. Then Mother told Agba it

was time to go in to the house, for the new mother and

her new baby to rest. After all, tomorrow was the counting

and everyone must go.

*

What Agba didn't know was that many things were going

to happen in the coming days that would help him grow

to be a very wise man when he grew up. Right now, he

just wanted to go to bed. He put the baby doe back into

the pen with Shenai and her brother, then went into the

Inn to his bed, to dream of the beautiful singing men and

ladies.

*
Shenai just watched and chewed her cud. She knew that

secret smile the woman had. And she knew the gift that

the baby in the manger brought. And that is why, if you

will go to the barn quietly on Christmas Eve, it is the herd

queen who tells the story of the baby doe and the beautiful

baby child.

*

And sometimes, not all the time, the does listen even more
closely to see maybe, just maybe the beautiful singing men

and ladies come in the night to sing with the herd queen

before she passes the story to her own daughters.

"And it came to pass in those days, that there was a decree

from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed."

- The Gospel of St. Luke, Chapt. 2, Verse 1 KJV